Young children are some of the most vulnerable people on our roads and making sure they have a safe car seat is one of the best ways to protect them, reducing injury risk by up to 70%. But fitting child car seats is not easy.
Statistics consistently show, all of us seem to need expert help to fit our kids’ seat correctly. This is why, every year, we team up with Kidsafe to run car seat safety blitzes.
Our 2024 blitz took in 11 sites across three states (two in Victoria, five in New South Wales and four in Queensland), with almost 670 seat checks conducted. Once again, most seats checked needed to be adjusted: in Victoria, for example, only 4% of seats were correctly installed – which means 96% were potentially not protecting their young occupants as intended.
Common issues detected were incorrect use of top tethers; incorrect harness heights; use of seats that did not comply with Australian standards; and seats needing extension straps.
Our teams also installed new seats for parents and carers and provided advice on their safe use.
To date, our partnership with Kidsafe has helped ensure almost 9,000 children are safer on Australian roads, through free checks and other events run since 2018.
Concerned about your child’s car seat?
Get information on child car seat fitters, plus tips on who can sit where, when – and more.
